Shadow
by Jessica R Vance
Summary: A new generation of Jellicles brings all the joy and sorrow imaginable. Is Munkustrap's son the murderer everyone thinks he is?
1. Little Miracles

Shadow  
  
By: Jessica R Vance  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Summary: Two years after the Jellicle ball, one of the tribe's new kittens falls under suspicion. Is he truly the villain they think he is?  
  
A/N: Special thanks to Becky-chan for being my British dictionary and biggest supporter of continuance of this story!   
  
---  
  
"You are all light - I am all shadow."   
  
"Cyrano De Bergerac"  
  
---  
  
Chapter One - Little Miracles  
  
-  
  
"Lylisan!"  
  
"Forrestia!"  
  
"Jeniiva! Jequimas!"  
  
Cassandra, Bombalurina, and Demeter were not happy. Their kittens were off and about - again. Demeter's twins were rarely apart, and Bombalurina and Cassandra's girls were never far behind them. The kittens were unusual - all four were nearly the exact same age. The twins exceded Lylisan and Forrestia by only a few days.  
  
"Jequimas! I swear, if you're off getting those kits into trouble somewhere..."  
  
Jequimas was the self-proclaimed leader of the foursome. He was feisty, arrogant, loud, and nothing at all like either of his parents. A stark contrast to his shy, quiet lookalike, he was forever leading his "gang" into seven kinds of trouble.  
  
"Shh! Here they come!" Giggling could be heard.  
  
Demeter shook her head and sighed. "Get out here now, the lot of you!" There was a pause, then four kittens crawled out of the oven. The twins, silver versions of their mother, grinned sheepishly. A splotched red queen, with hints of gold in her coat, followed closely behind. And lastly, a sleek, slight queen with all shades of black and grey tumbled out. "Where have you been!?" the golden queen demanded.  
  
"Been in there the whole time, Mum," Jequimas answered boldly, "You just couldn't find us!" Lylisan giggled, a wordless congratulations on his genius hiding.  
  
"You, mister, are in serious trouble," Demeter repremanded her son, taking him by the ear. He squealed, causing his cohorts to giggle incessantly.  
  
"Laugh it up, girls," Cassandra said, grabbing her daughter. "You're not much better." Lylisan grinned and waved goodbye to her friends.  
  
Forrestia grinned winningly up at her mother. "Hallo, Mum," she greeted her.  
  
"You, my little one, are..." Bombalurina sighed, "Not to do that, ever again." Forrestia grinned and trotted away with her mother.  
  
"That's not fair," Jequimas pouted, "How come she never gets in trouble?"  
  
"Because her mother spoils her rotten," Demeter answered. "I am not so lenient."  
  
"Awww..." the twins complained as they were led away.  
  
---  
  
"And what have our little bundles of joy been up to today?" Munkustrap asked, casting a disapproving eye on his oldest kittens. They grinned sheepishly.  
  
"Hiding from their mother," Demeter answered, frowning. "Jequimas' idea, I fear." The tom smiled proudly, then wilted with a look from his father. He glanced at his twin.  
  
"Jequimas," Munkustrap sighed, shaking his head, "What am I going to do with you?"  
  
"Er... let me go with no punishment?" the little tom guessed, smiling winningly. Another look was shot in his general direction. "Guess not," he muttered, his head sinking.  
  
Munkustrap was losing his patience quickly. "Both of you... just... go to your den," he sighed.  
  
---  
  
The Jellicle tribe certainly had its hands full. Mates were producing kittens every three seconds, it seemed, and with kittens came a world of both troubles and joys.  
  
Munkustrap and Demeter, thus far, had the most kittens. Their oldest, Jeniiva and Jequimas, were twins, and were practically mystics, as much as they could read each others' minds. But as similar as they seemed, they were, as is often the case with twins, as different as day and night. Jequimas was a rambunctious troublemaker, feisty, and always harrassing the adults. Though his play was all in good fun, he was never at a loss for an annoying gesture.  
  
Jeniiva, on the other hand, was quiet and sensitive, though greatly amused by her brother's antics. Perfectly content to sit to the side and watch, Jeniiva often reprimanded her brother... though often amidst a fit of giggles.  
  
Their two newest sons, Grimterra and Phileasimal, were only a few months old, but already had distinct personalities. Grimterra was very much like his father - quiet, intelligent, and level-headed. Phileasimal clung to Demeter like a lifeline, leaving her side only to be with Orpheus. He never spoke, and was always nervous; he jerked his head around as though always being followed by an unseen phantom.  
  
No one ever thought it would happen, but it did - the Rum Tum Tugger and Bombalurina had settled down. And not only settled down, but had a kitten. Their only bundle of joy, called Forrestia, was, as so many only children are - spoiled rotten. She was a perfect mixture of her mother and father, in both appearance and personality. She loved to flirt and have fun, but when she wanted to, she could be the biggest softy you've ever seen.  
  
Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer had also been blessed with two litters of kittens. As if two troublemakers wasn't enough, the pair had produced three more. Their oldest, from the first litter, was Rubeus. He was (surprisingly) the calmest and best behaved of the trio. He had a habit of behaving in the presence of adults, then leading his sisters in raids when no one was looking. He was quick-witted, but tended to play stupid when asked where Rumpleteazer's pearls had gone.  
  
Diamant, the older of the second litter, was as big a flirt as the great Bombalurina had been in her day. She was usually surrounded by toms, much to the annoyance of her protective older brother. She loved following him on his nightly raids to snatch shiny jewelry for herself (in the great tradition of her mother).  
  
Finally, there was Sapphira - the little copy of Mungojerrie. She was coloured like him, with dark orange and black blotches, and she watched his every move, mimicking everything he did. He told her stories of his "great robberies" ("petty capers," said Rumpleteazer), and Sapphira did all she could to measure up to his level of greatness. Mungojerrie thought it was adorable. The rest of the tribe found it trying.  
  
Alonzo and Cassandra had their own brands of trouble - three brands, in fact, called Lylisan, Orpheus, and Kristoforas. Lylisan, the oldest and only queen, was an ardent follower of Jequimas - and her feelings for him were not very well hidden. She trailed him like - dare one say it? - a puppy, and he accepted her adoration happily. Although he, being a tom, didn't realize just how deeply she cared for him.  
  
Orpheus, the couple's oldest son, was, to all intents and purposes, a mute. He never spoke, but communicated through his body language and expressive blue eyes. He shared a deep bond with Phileasimal, and the two could often be found sitting in amiable silence, surveying all the goings-on of the junkyard.  
  
Kristoforas was Alonzo's youngest son, and therefore was lavished with attention from his father. Although spoiled, the jet-black kitten never let the attention go to his head. He was humble and intelligent, and loved being with his closest friend, Rubeus. Though he thought he was subtle, everyone in the tribe knew about Kristoforas' little crush... on one of his mother's closest friends, Demeter.  
  
No group of kittens is complete without a full-blown mystic. And, as everyone had expected, that mystic turned out to be the daughter of Coricopat and Tantomile - Teilujah, whom her father affectionately called his "little accident." As observant and mysterious as her parents, Teilujah drifted from group to group of kittens, always smiling a secret smile as though she knew things the others did not.  
  
The youngest kittens belong (naturally) to the youngest pair of parents - Plato and Victoria. Their son, Apostrophe, was extremely fond of his "uncles" - Carbucketty and Pouncival, and spent most of his time with them, learning acrobatics. He sometimes went with Rubeus on his late-night prowls, and was quickly becoming a stealthy cat-burglar.  
  
Then there was Orea - the very youngest of the new kittens. She was (it was agreed upon among the entire tribe) beautiful. Lithe and flexible like her mother, with a coat of perfectly blended red-brown and pure white. Plato absolutely adored her - he and Victoria fawned over her as though she was a newborn, even months after she and Apostrophe's births.  
  
Thus the newest generation of Jellicles came into the lives of their parents.  
  
Who could know what would befall them?  
  
--- 


	2. Good Times And Bad

Chapter Two - Good Times and Bad  
  
Life was good in the Jellicle Junkyard - the approaching ball would be the first for the year old kittens - the twins, Lylisan, Forrestia, and Rubeus. Jemima would enter adulthood ("Finally," Victoria joked lovingly) and would officially be mated with Victor. Old Deuteronomy would, in a year or so, ascend to the Heaviside Layer, leaving Munkustrap with the responsibility of Jellicle leader ("I feel so old," the tabby remarked). Bombalurina was pregnant with her second litter of kittens, much to Forrestia's annoyance. "Does that mean I'll have to share with them?" she asked her parents huffily.  
  
Yes, life was good.  
  
With all this excitement, the tribe hardly had time to think that there was any danger lurking in the shadows. But there is always a dark cloud in the sky somewhere.  
  
---  
  
"This is gonna be awesome," Jequimas informed his twin. The two kittens were curled up in their room, unable to sleep. The ball was only a day away.  
  
"I'm so excited," Jeniiva agreed breathlessly. "What do you think it'll be like?"  
  
"Lots of dancing, I'd imagine," the tomkit grinned, "It is a ball, after all..."  
  
Jeniiva stuck her tongue out at him. "I know that, Jequimas. But... I mean, what happens?" She smiled and shivered with kittenish delight. "Remember Mum telling us about the year that Macavity crashed the ball? How scary!"  
  
"Wish I'd've been there," her brother sniffed proudly. "I'd've taken him on." Jeniiva laughed and gave him a shove.  
  
"You'd've done nothing of the sort," she said, in an imitation of Demeter that was almost frightening in its accuracy. "You'd have been curled up in the corner just like me."  
  
"Nu-uh! Alonzo's told me stories about it! That old Macavity doesn't sound scary at all!" Jequimas stood and puffed out his chest. "Alonzo told me how he took him on single handedly!"  
  
Jeniiva rolled her eyes. "You notice he never tells that story around Mum or Dad. Mum's told me Alonzo got tossed about just like Dad."  
  
"Dad did not get tossed about," Jequimas huffed. "He was just as tough as Alonzo. He's told me!"  
  
"And you believe everything you hear?" The little queen grinned. "Do you believe everything Uncle Tugger tells you, too?"  
  
"Most certainly do! Uncle Tugs used to be quite a cat about town 'till Aunt Bomby came along." Jeniiva giggled.  
  
"Well, I might agree with you on that," she said, nodding, "Aunt Bomby tells it different though." She yawned. "Lay back down, Tiger. You'll be too tired to take on anyone at the ball if you stay up all night!"  
  
Jequimas frowned, but obeyed his sister. "I guess you're right. Even though I'm not... not sl..." A huge yawn cut him off. "G'night, Niiva."  
  
Jeniiva chuckled. "Goodnight."  
  
The kittens were asleep in no time.  
  
---  
  
The next day, Jequimas was full of energy. "Ball's tonight, Mum!" he cried, bouncing all around her. Demeter smiled.  
  
"It certainly is," she agreed. She stroked his head. "Now run along. I've told your Aunt Bom that I'll help her decorate for tonight." She gently maneuvered her son out of their family's house and headed toward the junkyard. "Go find someone to play with, Tiger," she called over her shoulder, "I don't want you wandering about by yourself!"  
  
"Right, right," the kitten said, wandering off to find a playmate.  
  
---  
  
Most of the kittens had suffered the same fate as Jequimas, and been herded away by their mothers for the sake of their own sanity. Jequimas found them in Hyde Park, engaging in a variety of activities. Most of the toms were wrestling, showing off for the queens, and most of the queens were pretending to be uninterested while watching quite avidly.  
  
Only Orpheus sat alone in the shade of a tree, observing as he always did. Feeling sorry for him, Jequimas sauntered over and sat next to the mute kitten. "Hallo," he greeted him. Wide-eyed, Orpheus turned his face away from the older tom.  
  
Jequimas was a bit taken aback. "Hey, what's wrong?" he said, laying a hand on the tom's shoulder. Orpheus turned to him, his eyes still round as saucers. He shook his head, indicating "Nothing," but he still looked as though Jequimas might attack him at any moment.  
  
"Hey, I'm not gonna hurt you," Jequimas said, dropping his hand. Orpheus' eyes narrowed uncertainly. "No, really," Jequimas continued, smiling. "There's nothing to be afraid of. I know I don't talk to you a lot, but you know..." he shrugged. "You looked kinda lonely over here. Where's your friend?"  
  
Orpheus looked confused for a moment, then seemed to understand. "My brother, yeah," Jequimas said, grinning again. "Where is he?" Orpheus didn't reply, but shook his head and motioned in the direction of the junkyard. "Helping Mum?" Orpheus nodded. Jequimas huffed. "Sure, she runs me off, but sure, let Phil help with the ball." Orpheus raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Sorry," Jequimas said, making himself comfortable. "So, why don't you wrestle?" he asked, jerking his thumb toward Rubeus and Apostrophe, who were quite pleased with the show they were putting on for Forrestia and Lylisan. Orpheus dropped his eyes and shrugged, shaking his head.  
  
"Don't want to?"  
  
Another shake of the head.  
  
"Don't like them?"  
  
More enthused shaking.  
  
"... Don't know how?"  
  
The kitten was still, and continued to stare at the ground. Jequimas smiled and chuckled. Orpheus' head flew up, his face defiant and hurt. "No, no!" Jequimas was quick to defend himself, "No, I'm not... really laughing at you, it's just... well, I don't know, I just kinda thought everyone knew how to wrestle." Orpheus pouted.  
  
Suddenly Jequimas had an idea. "Want me to teach you?" Orpheus' eyes widened again, and for the first time since Jequimas first spoke to him, he dared to crack a small grin. He nodded enthusiastically.   
  
Jequimas stood and helped him up. "Let's get out of here," Jequimas suggested. Hoping to boost Orpheus' confidence, he added, "I wouldn't want to get beat too badly in front of the boys." Orpheus gave a full-blown smile and the toms left the others.  
  
---  
  
"All right," Jequimas said. He and Orpheus had receded to a far corner of the park for Orpheus' lessons. "You've watched the boys enough to sort of know what to do, right?" Orpheus hesitated, then nodded. "Right then. Run at me!"  
  
Orpheus stared. "Come on," Jequimas encouraged, taking a stance. "Just take a run at me!" Orpheus sighed, prepped, and took a running leap at the larger tom. As soon as he reached him, Jequimas grabbed him and, as gently as possible, flipped him onto his back. A barely audible groan of pain escaped Orpheus. Jequimas pulled him up.  
  
"You've got to be quicker than that," he admonished, brushing off his pupil. "You've got to hit me when I'm not expecting it. Now let's try that ag-" His words were cut short by Orpheus taking a swing at him and landing the punch right on his jaw. The tabby was knocked flat.  
  
Orpheus' proud smile quickly faded as Jequimas shook his head and glared up at him, a growl growing steadily in his throat. "Well, Orpheus," he said as he slowly got to his feet, "You're about to have your first lesson in self defense." With that, the tempermental tom crouched low and sprang.  
  
---  
  
Decorations were going swimmingly in the junkyard when the screech of an injured kitten was heard. The adults barely had time to turn around before a black and white blur came streaking into the junkyard, making terrible gutteral noises.  
  
Cassandra found herself with an armful of a wailing Orpheus, who was nursing a gash in his shoulder. "Orpheus!" Cassandra gasped, cradling her kitten. "What happened to you!?"  
  
At that moment, a fiery-eyed Jequimas stepped into the junkyard. "He STARTED it!" he spat, his eyes fixed on the younger tom. "We were just playing around and he had to go and club me! He hit me hard, too!"   
  
"Well it looks like you hit him a lot harder!" Cassandra fired back, glaring at him. "No matter what he did, that was uncalled for!"  
  
"Jequimas," Demeter said, quietly enough to let the young tom know he was really in trouble, "Come here."  
  
But the tabby kitten stood fixed to the spot, staring defiantly at his mother. "Oh, sure," he said bitterly, "blame me! You always blame me, you blame me for everything! Blame me because I'm not perfect, like Grimterra or Jeniiva! Just go ahead, Mum, blame me!"  
  
Demeter froze. Something in his words, in the entire situation, brought a memory raging back into her mind - a memory from years ago, on the day of the Jellicle Ball...  
  
---  
  
Kasparan came limping into the junkyard. "Mum, Mum!" he called, searching for Amanthia, his mother. His leg was torn open.  
  
"Kas!" Amanthia gasped, running to her son. "Heaviside, what happened!?"  
  
"It was Mac, Mum," the young tom groaned, letting himself be cradled. "We -"  
  
"We were just playing," came the gravely voice of a tom who's voice was changing. All eyes turned to Macavity, who stood leaning against a pile of trash. His arms were crossed against his chest, his eyes fixed on Kasparan. "Just messing around. Then he comes at me serious. I had to defend myself." The older tom's ice blue eyes held no compassion for the injured kitten.  
  
Deuteronomy shook his head. "I find that very hard to believe, son," he said, his tone gruff and disappointed, "Kasparan's just a kitten -"  
  
"So am I, Dad!" Macavity interrupted, dropping his arms. He glared at his father. "But no! It's so hard to believe that for once I was the victim, isn't it?"  
  
The newest addition to the tribe, a frightened Demeter, stood in the shadows, watching.  
  
"It's so hard to believe that someone might have attacked Macavity!" The fiery red tom was livid. "Go ahead, Dad, that's fine. I know I'm not smart like Munkustrap or popular like Tugger. That's fine. I'm the problem child, aren't I? So you have every right to blame me ALL the time. Go ahead, Dad.  
  
Blame me."  
  
---  
  
Demeter shook her head, trying to banish the memory. But try as she might, she could only see Macavity's icy stare in the eyes of her own son now. "No," she whispered, "No, not again."  
  
Jequimas' glare turned to a gaze of concern. "Mum?" he said timidly, "Mum, are you all right?"  
  
"Demi?" Cassandra said as she stroked a quieting Orpheus' head.  
  
"It's... it's nothing," Demeter said, shaking her head again. She hardened her eyes against Jequimas. "You, young sir," she said, her voice only quivering slightly, "You are in very big trouble. I don't know what went on, but I do know that Orpheus is hurt, badly. I hate to have to do this, but..." she sighed, "The only punishment I can think of is... well, you can't come tonight, Jequimas. You'll not be coming to the Ball."  
  
Jequimas' eyes widened, filling with tears. "Mum... Mum! You can't do that!"  
  
"I can. And I will. I'm sorry, Jequimas, trust me, but... you've just got to learn to control your temper. You may think you had a perfectly good reason to hurt Orpheus -" Orpheus wimpered and Cassandra shushed him, "But honestly, your temper can get out of control. This is the only way I can think of to get through to you."  
  
Jequimas blinked, tears rolling down his cheeks. He turned swiftly and glared daggers at Orpheus, who was quietly sniffling against Cassandra. Their eyes locked for a split second, then Jequimas turned and ran from the junkyard toward home.   
  
---  
  
Macavity's eyes burned holes through Kasparan as Deuteronomy doled out his punishment upon his son. "I don't care who started it, you injured him," the large tom said, "And you're insane if you think I'm going to allow you to go to the Ball tonight. Kasparan certainly won't be able to go, not with his leg in that condition. I think it only fair that you share the same fate as him."   
  
Macavity growled under his breath, narrowing his eyes at Kasparan. The smaller tom shrank away from his gaze as though it physically hurt him. "Yes. Sir," Macavity answered, turning slowly and marching, sulking, out of the junkyard.  
  
Demeter quivered in the shadows.  
  
---  
  
"Jequimas?"  
  
"Go 'way."  
  
Jeniiva crawled into the cat bed next to her brother. "What happened?"  
  
Jequimas turned away from his sister. "They always blame me. It's stupid. Orpheus hit me and I fought back."  
  
"Orpheus? Hit you?" Jeniiva shook her head, "That doesn't make any sense, Tiger. Orpheus would never hurt anybody."  
  
"Well..." Jequimas paused, "I was kinda teaching him how to wrestle. You know, like the other toms do. But he hit me when I wasn't expecting it."  
  
"That's how you always fight."  
  
The tabby tom growled in frustration. "I know, Niiva, but it's different when you're in a fight and when you're just practicing. He hit me hard too." He rolled over and stuck out his chin. "Feel, there's a lump."  
  
Jeniiva shook her head lovingly and stroked his chin. "That's quite a lump, Tiger. What'd you do to him?"  
  
Jequimas dropped his eyes sheepishly. "I took a swipe at his shoulder. He ran off." He sniffed, half in pride and half in tears. "It just made me mad."  
  
"I know it must have," his sister said, her voice full of concern, "But you've always had quite a temper. You've just -"  
  
"Got to learn to control it," Jequimas finished. "You sound like Mum." His voice betrayed more hurt than he would admit. "Don't tell me you're taking her side."  
  
"I'm not taking sides, Jequimas. But this time she's right. You wouldn't get into trouble like this if you'd learn to control that temper." There was silence for a moment. "So what kind of trouble did you get into?"  
  
Jequimas turned away from her again. He was quiet for a minute, then, "Can't go to the Ball."  
  
"What?" Jeniiva exploded, "Can't go to the Ball!? That's ridiculous! It was just his shoulder, it's not as though you took off a leg!"  
  
Jequimas looked over his shoulder and grinned at her. "Now you're talking."  
  
Jeniiva was up and pacing. "That's just plain stupid. This is your first Ball!"  
  
"Not anymore."  
  
"There must be some way we can change her mind."  
  
"You try it."  
  
The silver queen stopped and sighed. "You're right. Besides, by now she'll have told Dad and you're in for a tongue-lashing anyway."  
  
Jequimas had very much the look of a doomed prisoner. "I know."  
  
Jeniiva looked at him, her eyes softening. "Jequimas..." she sighed, "You know that-"  
  
"You'd stay with me if you could," Jequimas finished. "Yes, I know. But I also know how much you want to go to this Ball." Jeniiva nodded. "I don't mind. Really, I don't. You go. You dance with Rubeus." The queen's eyes widened. "What, you thought I didn't know that, too? I'm your twin, Niiva, you can't hide much from me!"  
  
Jeniiva blushed and her brother laughed. "Really though," he said, ruffling her hair, "You go and have a good time. I'll get over this whole thing. Besides, it's not as though I'm the only one staying home. The younger kits won't be able to go either."   
  
Jeniiva nodded and gave him a hug. "Good luck with Dad," she whispered before whisking out of the room.  
  
---  
  
It was later that night, and Munkustrap and Demeter sat together at the Ball, watching the coming-of-age kittens dance. Their evening would have been much more enjoyable had both of them not been thinking of the sobbing son they had left at home.  
  
"It was the only thing to do, Demi," the silver tom consoled his mate, "Really it was. The boy had to learn a lesson. He can't go letting his temper get the best of him like that. You were right in punishing him."  
  
"I know, Munk, I know..." Demeter replied, staring at the stars, "But... I got to thinking about it later on, and it's exactly what your father did to... well, you remember."  
  
The Jellicle protector nodded gravely. "I remember. But Demi, you've got to remember that Jequimas is not Macavity. He can be stubborn, tempermental, a troublemaker... but he's not cruel, Demi, he's not evil." He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. "He's not evil."  
  
--- 


	3. The Storm Strikes

Chapter Three - The Storm Strikes  
  
---  
  
A scream was heard. All dancing stopped. Plato whirled away from Cassandra. "Orea," he growled, "Where is she!?" He raced into the center of the yard, frantic. "Orea? OREA!?"  
  
"It came from the park," Munkustrap said, racing away. Plato followed close behind. "Orea!" the toms called, "Orea!"  
  
"Oh... Heaviside," Munkustrap gasped, stopping short. A brown and white mass of fur, flesh, and blood lay some 30 feet away.  
  
Plato sobbed, "No..." and galloped toward it. "Orea. Orea, no!" He took the limp kitten in his arms and rocked her back and forth gently. "Orea. Orea, please wake up. Orea..." He choked up.  
  
"Who could have..." Munkustrap began. He heard footsteps. He whirled to see Jequimas stepping forward. "Jequi-" he said, but stopped short. The kitten's claws were extended.  
  
And the blood on them shone in the moonlight.  
  
---  
  
"Dad, no! NO! Dad, please, I didn't do it! You have to believe me!" Plato and Munkustrap drug the the kitten into the center of the junkyard as he kicked and screamed. "Dad! I didn't kill her!" Tears ran down the faces of both father and son.   
  
Plato was hard. "Shut up," he muttered. He jerked Jequimas away from his father and threw him to the ground. By this time, the whole tribe was awake. Victoria trembled.  
  
"Plato...?" she asked, going to him. He enveloped her in his arms and whispered the bad news in her ear. She wailed and clung to him, sobbing. "My little girl... no..."  
  
All eyes were on Jequimas. "I didn't DO it!!" he cried, "Why won't anyone believe me!?"  
  
"We know what we saw," Plato answered bitterly. "You were there... the blood..." he couldn't go on. Jequimas turned to his family.  
  
"You have to believe me!" he said, "Jeniiva, tell them!" But his sister was gazing at him doubtfully. "Jeniiva...?"  
  
"I... can tell you killed someone, Jequimas," she answered quietly. Her words struck him like an arrow. He shook his head.  
  
"No, Jeniiva... I never..."  
  
"You can't lie to me, Jequimas!" she cried, "I'm your twin! I feel what you do! I can tell!" Her eyes filled with tears. "There's no use trying to lie..."  
  
"Oh, Jequimas..." Demeter sobbed. She started toward him, but was stopped by her mate. "Munku? Surely you don't think..."  
  
"I had my doubts..." the silver protector sighed, "I had hoped Jeniiva would be able to confirm... but now..." He closed his eyes in pain. "I don't know what to do."  
  
"The only thing we can do," Plato answered angrily, "He has to go. We can't have him - "  
  
"No! I won't banish my own son!" Demeter sobbed. Munkustrap put an arm around her. "Munku, this is... it's too much like..."  
  
"I know," Munkustrap interrupted. "But... if it's what we have to do..."   
  
"Father, no... please..."  
  
"He did kill someone," came another voice. Everyone turned and looked at Teilujah. She was shaking. "Even I can sense it. It's on his conscience." Her parents nodded their heads in sorrowful confirmation.  
  
"No! Father, no! I didn't! I couldn't!" But it was too late now. "Daddy...?" The tribe had begun to turn their backs. He was being banished.  
  
Soon only three backs were left unturned. His mother, Jeniiva, and Lylisan gazed mournfully at him. Demeter and Lylisan soon turned, leaving only his twin. She stared at him for a few moments more, trying to read him. Looking for some sort of a sign that she had been wrong.  
  
It wasn't there.  
  
She slowly turned. Jequimas trembled. He swiftly ran away, choking on his own sobs.  
  
He was cold.  
  
---  
  
Kasparan had gone missing.  
  
When his bloody body was found, there was only once suspect: Macavity. His anger at being denied his first ball had spawned a hatred for the younger tom, and he had used his superior size and strength to repay what he felt was a great injustice. Brought before the tribe, the mystics had confirmed his guilt, and Deuteronomy's son was banished.  
  
History had a funny way of repeating itself.  
  
---  
  
The sun was far too bright. Jequimas squinted, his head throbbing. His whole body felt warm, and all around him light shone into his eyes. 'Well, I'm dead,' he thought. 'I'm dead and I managed to end up in the Heaviside Layer.' He stood, struggling to stay on his feet.  
  
"Jequimas - "  
  
"AGH!" The kitten immediately curled up into a ball. "Go away," he whimpered.  
  
"Jequimas, look at me." He peeked through his hands. "Don't you recognize me?"  
  
"I can't even see you," he muttered. The light faded slightly, and the form of a brown and white kitten appeared. "Orea," he gasped. She smiled. "Orea! You're alive! Hurry, we've gotta go back to the junkyard, you've gotta tell them - " He started to his feet, but a throbbing pain engulfed his head. "Ooooh..." he moaned, sinking to the ground.  
  
"Careful," Orea said. "You had a nasty fall." She walked to him, placing her small hands on his head. "Now hold still." A moment passed, then the pain in his head was gone.  
  
"Orea..." he muttered, "What happened?"  
  
"I died," she answered, her voice surreally calm. "But you avenged me. It's all right."  
  
"They think I killed you," he mumbled, his voice younger than his age.  
  
"I know," she said. "But you didn't. It's all right."  
  
"Stop saying that!" Jequimas exclaimed. "It's not all right. They think I did it and now I've been banished."  
  
"I know." She lifted his chin up, his eyes meeting hers.  
  
"I didn't kill anybody," Jequimas protested.  
  
Orea blinked; her eyes gave off a soft, frail glow. "But Jequimas... you did."  
  
"NO!" he exploded, tearing himself away from her gaze. "I could never kill anyone!"  
  
"But you did, Jequimas," Orea replied desperately. "You did."  
  
"Who? Who did I kill? Answer me that. No one's been able to tell me."  
  
Orea gazed at him sadly. "Come with me."  
  
---  
  
"Munkustrap?" The tabby lifted his tear-stained face.  
  
"Who's there?"  
  
"It's Lylisan," came the reply. "Can I - "  
  
"Come in." As the kitten approached, Munkustrap hurriedly wiped his eyes. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Munk... Munkustrap, sir. Do you really think that Jequimas did it? I mean, honestly." The protector sighed.  
  
"I don't want to believe it any more than you do, Lyli," he replied, rubbing his eyes. "But you heard. Three mystics and his own twin sister confirmed it. There was nothing I could do." He sighed. "I'm sorry."  
  
Lylisan shook her head. "I just can't believe it. I mean, Jequimas... he made trouble sometimes, but I just didn't think he could..."  
  
"I know," Munkustrap said, shaking his head. "I never would have thought it of him. But... I just don't know. Cori and Tant... they've never been wrong before. And I would think if anyone would know otherwise, it would be Jeniiva."  
  
"That's what I thought too," Lylisan conceded. "But..." she trailed off.  
  
There was nothing left to say.  
  
---  
  
"Where are we going?" Jequimas asked warily. Orea didn't respond. "Orea, where - " he stopped short. The Thames. They were heading toward the Thames. "Orea, why are you taking me back here? Why?"  
  
"This is where it happened, isn't it?" she asked, her voice as calm as always.  
  
"Well... this is... wait, where what happened?" Orea didn't answer. "I didn't kill him, Orea, I didn't - " He stopped, his eyes wide. "No," he gasped. A wet mass of fur lay on the shore.  
  
---  
  
"Macavity!"  
  
Jeniiva's shriek woke her parents and sent them straight to her side. "Jeniiva, Jeniiva, what's wrong?" Munkustrap pleaded, taking his daughter by the shoulders.  
  
The kitten shivered, her eyes flitting to and fro nervously. "M... Macavity," she whimpered, trembling, "He killed... he killed..."  
  
Demeter's eyes filled with tears as her mate shook his head. "Jeniiva. Macavity's been dead for nearly a year now..."  
  
"No! I saw him, he..."  
  
"Jeniiva, stop this. You've never even seen Macavity. How could you possibly know - "  
  
"Daddy, I saw him. And Jequimas - "  
  
This was too much. "Jequimas. With Macavity?" Jeniiva nodded slowly and opened her mouth to explain. "No. I'm tired of this. Macavity's dead. Jequimas has never been with him." He turned to go. "You had a bad dream. That's all."  
  
"Daddy..." But Munkustrap was gone.   
  
Demeter, shivering, looked at her daughter. "I believe you," she whispered, barely audible. Jeniiva's eyes glimmered. "Tell me what happened."  
  
---  
  
"How did this happen?" Jequimas muttered, staring at the dead cat's form. "I... I thought..."  
  
Orea gazed sadly at him. "He never had a chance, Jequimas," she said. "He died the moment his head went under." Jequimas trembled, frantic.   
  
"I... I killed him," he whispered, half to himself. "I actually..." he shivered. "So they were right," he realized. "Jeniiva and the mystics. I had killed someone." Orea nodded. "They just thought it was you."  
  
"The signs weren't clear enough," Orea agreed. "But now you know."  
  
"How can I make them believe me?" Jequimas mused, "I can't drag him back to the junkyard, and by the time I got back and convinced them to come with me, he'd be gone."  
  
"Oh, I don't think he's going anywhere," Orea replied, staring at the mass of fur. Jequimas sighed, then his ears perked as he heard footsteps. "Hide, quick!" Orea commanded. He dove into a nearby bush and peeked out.  
  
"'Ere it is. Roight wheh Oi tol' ya." Jequimas cocked an ear. Humans!  
  
"Ooo... 'e's really waterlogged, ain' 'e?" a second voice said. Two boys, maybe 11 or 12 in human years, emerged and hovered over the cat's body. "Wot a stiff." The boys giggled.  
  
"Wotcher think we should do wif 'im?" the first asked.  
  
"Whoy, we take 'im t' scare tha girls, o' course!" Jequimas' eyes widened. They couldn't take that body! That was his evidence! But the first boy had already doffed his jacket and was wrapping the wet criminal up in it. Jequimas nearly retched. Humans were disgusting.  
  
As the boys ran off with the body, Jequimas and Orea emerged from hiding. "Heaviside..." Jequimas muttered, his ears drooping, "What'll I do now?"  
  
Orea sighed. She wasn't sure.  
  
--- 


	4. The Tom In The Alley

Chapter Four - The Tom In The Alley  
  
---  
  
The dreams had tormented him for the past two years. They were always the same - he heard the screams and came running, running, until he came face to face with the fierce red monster of his mother's stories. Blurred images raced across his mind; a flurry of claws and blood and hair, and Orea was dead. The cold eyes of the tribe accusing him, boring into his mind, filling his heart with dread as they turned away, one by one. He always woke the same way.  
  
"No... I didn't... please... NO!"  
  
---  
  
Lylisan heard the cries coming from the dark alley and hesitated. Her instinct told her to keep walking, that it was no more than another delapidated old cat who had lost their mind. But something in the tom's voice called to her through his cries, begging for her help. So she turned and crept cautiously toward the voice.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
The cries persisted. It sounded as though the tom was talking in his sleep - unable to hear Lylisan's approach or voice. She called louder.  
  
"Hello? Are you all right?"  
  
With a muffled sob, the crying ceased. There was a strange silence, broken only by the erratic breathing of the tom. Lylisan waited, then repeated, "Hello?"  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"I... I heard you calling out... I just wanted to make sure you were all right." Lylisan squinted. "I can't see you. Where are you?" She took a step further into the alley.  
  
"Don't come any closer!" the voice called hoarsely. "I'm... I'm fine." There was a soft rustling, then a sharp intake of breath, followed by another silence. Then, "Who are you?"  
  
"My... my name's Lylisan. Are you sure you're all right? You sounded..." Lylisan trailed off, unsure of what to say. She wanted to tell the tom how awful and haunted he had sounded, but she wasn't sure how he would react. "...Scared," she finished.  
  
A soft, bitter laugh drifted toward her. "I'm beyond scared," the tom replied, his voice still rough. Lylisan could almost feel his eyes on her. "How do you come to be here?" he asked.  
  
"I was... just out for a walk," Lylisan lied. She wasn't sure why she didn't tell the tom the truth - perhaps he could even help her. But something about his voice was familiar - just familiar enough to cause Lylisan not to trust him.  
  
"A walk," the tom repeated. "But you're from the Junkyard. An awfully long way to walk, isn't it?"  
  
Lylisan froze and stared into the darkness, her eyes wide. "Do I know you?" she asked, very softly. Another rustle answered her. The tom was moving, though to where and for what reason Lylisan didn't know.  
  
"No," came the reply. "Why do you ask?"  
  
"Well... you know... I mean, do you know me?"  
  
"I know the Junkyard tribe. I know all the tribes." Though still gruff, there was a touch of pride in his voice. "Why would someone from the Junkyard fancy a walk this far from home?"  
  
"I have my reasons," Lylisan said, skirting the issue. She stared suspiciously toward his voice. "Are you quite sure I don't know you?"  
  
There was a thoughtful silence. "Quite," the tom said, very softly. The edge was gone from his voice, and he sounded very sad. "Do I remind you of someone?"  
  
"Yes," she said, surprised at his awareness. "Actually... you remind me of someone I knew... well, years ago, really. But... he's gone now."  
  
"Who was he?"  
  
"My best friend, really. We had..." she laughed softly, "we had a bit of a gang and he was the leader. But then... well. Something happened. He had to leave."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Lylisan paused, not sure whether she wanted to retell this story, especially to a complete stranger. But the same familiarity in his voice that she had noticed earlier was becoming more prominent, and she felt compelled.  
  
"The... well, some of the tribe thought he did something. Something awful. So they banished him."  
  
A pause, and when the tom spoke again, his voice was so soft that Lylisan had to strain to hear him. "Did he do it?"  
  
"I never thought so. But... all the evidence pointed to the contrary."  
  
"You believed he was innocent?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And yet you helped to banish him." This was not a question - it was a statement. Lylisan paused, startled.  
  
"How would you know that?"  
  
"Well... well it takes all members of a tribe to banish one of its members," the tom replied, sounding as though he had just made a very fast save. "It only makes sense you'd have helped."  
  
The grief and guilt of two years sagged on Lylisan's shoulders. "Yes," she admitted quietly. "But there was nothing else I could have done. If only he could know that I believed him..."  
  
"Everyone he loved turned on him!" the tom cried, suddenly sounding very fierce. Lylisan cowered as his voice grew louder, rougher. "It doesn't matter if you believed him, they all let him be sent away!"  
  
The tom's shallow, ragged breathing filled the alley. Lylisan gathered her courage and spoke again. "You... you seem awfully -"  
  
"I know," he answered shortly, "It's just that... well, I was banished from my tribe too. So I know how your friend feels."  
  
Curiousity overcame her fear. "Why were you sent away?"  
  
The silence following her question stretched for so long that Lylisan was afraid that the tom might have stolen away, or fallen asleep again. But quite unexpectedly, he answered, "That is another story for another time. Will you come and see me again?"  
  
Taken aback, Lylisan muttered, "I can't even see you now."  
  
The tom chuckled, and for the first time Lylisan heard real life and amusement in his voice. "You have a point. I'll tell you what - you come and visit me again, and maybe I'll let you see me."  
  
The offer was tempting. Lylisan was unexplicably intrigued by the tom, and by the past that seemed to haunt him. On the other hand, she knew nothing about him - he may be dangerous, insane. But her desire to know more about him soon won over her apprehensions, and she replied, "Yes... all right."  
  
"I'll be here," he continued scratchily. "I don't go much of anywhere else. Just stop by next time you... fancy one of your walks."  
  
He didn't speak anymore, but Lylisan thought she could hear him laughing softly as she turned and walked away.  
  
---  
  
It was almost two weeks before Lylisan could chance to go see the tom in the alley again. Upon returning from their first meeting, she had been so quiet and pensive that Cassandra was sure she was sick. But every time she tried to ask her daughter what was wrong, Lylisan had avoided her, putting her state down as being tired.  
  
In truth, the meeting with the strange, sad tom in the alley had unnerved Lylisan more than she could say. She had mulled over what had made the tom sound so familiar, and the more she thought, the more hope grew steadily in her chest. She knew it was unlikely, even impossible, but surely there was still the slightest chance...  
  
But if it had been Jequimas, why hadn't he said so? she was forced to ask herself. Why hadn't he revealed himself, told her who he was, rushed from the shadows to greet her?  
  
You heard him, a nagging voice in the back of her mind told her. He's angry with you, he's angry with everyone, because they sent him away. And he's quite right, she admitted, although it pained her to do so. He obviously didn't want you to know who he was.  
  
And yet, he had asked her back. Why? Clearly he wanted to see her again. But was it just to tease her, to keep her guessing as to who he was?  
  
She had to ask him, straight out. As he approached the alley, she grew nervous. What if he wasn't here? What if it wasn't him?  
  
Or worse... what if it was?  
  
Gathering her nerves, Lylisan called, "Hello?"  
  
There was no answer. For a moment, Lylisan's heart froze. He wasn't there. She'd never know. Just as she turned to go home, she heard a rough voice answer, "I'd thought you weren't coming back."  
  
She spun around, inexplicably glad to hear his voice. "I... I couldn't get away," she explained, straining her eyes in an attempt to catch a glimpse of him.  
  
But she only heard him answer, "Yes, I'm sure you couldn't." His voice was still low and very gruff, but there was a definite hint of a smile in it. Then he added, in an entirely different sort of voice, "I'm glad you came back."  
  
Maybe it was what he had said. Maybe it was the youth that Lylisan finally heard through the edge in his voice. Or maybe it was just her intense desire for it to be true, but something made Lylisan cry out, "Jequimas!"  
  
The air went very still. Lylisan's stomach buzzed with anxiety and hope. When the silence finally became unbearable, she said again, "Jequimas. Please come out and face me."  
  
She was faced only with silence and the shadows in the alley. Then she heard him say, very quietly but very clearly, "I never could fool you, could I?"  
  
And then she saw him. He appeared from the shadows so suddenly that she wasn't quite sure where he had come from. But he was there, and it really was Jequimas.  
  
But it was a very different Jequimas from the cheeky kitten she remembered. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and rather thin-faced. His steely eyes were deep-set and filled with a sad something that made him seem much older than she knew he was. His coat, had it been tended, would have gleamed the same silver as his father and sister's, but years of unkemptness had caused it to become a rather dull, light grey, streaked with his father's black and white.  
  
Lylisan realized she was staring, but it didn't matter - she hadn't seen him in two years, and she felt she was entitled to be able to take in his changes. Besides, he was gazing at her in quite the same manner.  
  
"You look so grown up," he finally said, his voice hoarse. Lylisan laughed, finally relaxing.  
  
"You're one to talk," she replied. He didn't laugh, and Lylisan remembered the things he had said last time. "Jequimas... do you hate me?"  
  
His eyes glinted; she thought for a moment he would cry. But when he spoke, his voice was very firm. "No. I don't hate you." He turned away from her. "For a long time I thought I did. It was easier that way. But... when I saw you again..." He trailed off, shaking his head. "I don't hate you. Any of you."  
  
Relief washed over her. She took a step toward him and touched his shoulder. He flinched and she quickly withdrew it. "Sorry."  
  
"It's all right." His voice was still rough. He cleared his throat and winced.  
  
"What happened to your voice?" Lylisan asked before she could stop herself. He shook his head.  
  
"Old tom thought he'd teach me some manners." He grinned, without amusement. "I won in the end, but... he certainly left an impression on me." He was silent for a moment, then asked very softly, "Lylisan... how's Jeniiva?"  
  
She hesitated. "She's... very pregnant."  
  
Jequimas' eyes widened. "Pregnant! But... she's so young!"  
  
Lylisan laughed. "In case you hadn't noticed, we're quite grown up now."  
  
"Who's the father?"  
  
More chuckling from Lylisan. "Rubeus!"  
  
A ghost of a smile flickered across Jequimas' face. "I bet Dad's pleased," he said sardonically.  
  
"Not in the least!" she answered, thoroughly relieved to see some spark of pleasure in his eyes. "Mungojerrie's chuffed enough, but when your dad found out they were going to be grandparents together..." she shook her head, grinning, "You'd have thought the world was coming to an end."  
  
Jequimas blinked, as though suddenly realizing something. "Lyli - I'm going to be an uncle!" She smiled at him, but her smile faded as his brow knit and he stared at the ground. "I wish I could see the kits."  
  
He sat down against the wall, staring into space. Lylisan knelt next to him, careful not to touch him. "Why don't you come back?" she said gently. He glared at her and she cowered slightly. His eyes were so much more fierce and empty than they used to be.  
  
"Come back?" he said, giving a mirthless laugh. "Come back? The entire tribe thinks I'm a murderer, Lyli. I can't come back."  
  
"I don't think you're a murderer," Lylisan corrected him quietly. "Neither does Jeniiva. Neither does your mother."  
  
"Then why did all of you help to banish me!?" he demanded, snarling.  
  
"Everyone else believed it!" she answered desperately, "Three voices wouldn't have made a difference! But we never believed you killed Orea!"  
  
"Everyone else does," he said miserably, his head dropping, "And I can't even prove them wrong."  
  
"How would you have proved it anyway?"  
  
Jequimas then told her of Orea's ghost visiting him, what she had told him, and of her taking him to see the body of the cat he had truly killed.  
  
"So I am a murderer," he concluded, "But I never laid a hand on Orea."  
  
"Why don't you just go back and tell them what you've just told me?" Lylisan demanded, "Tell them the truth!"  
  
"I've got the word of three mystics and my twin saying that I killed Orea. A story like mine won't take that away. They'd never believe me." He glared at her suspiciously. "Do you believe me?"  
  
Lylisan stared at him. He was ragged and desperate, his eyes hollow, his face hard. He looked fierce; but he didn't look like a killer. "Yes," she whispered. "I do."  
  
---  
  
Lylisan continued to visit Jequimas in the weeks that followed. They would trade stories; she would tell him of what was happening with the tribe, and he would fill her in on the things that had happened to him over the past two years. She noticed that, whenever she spoke of the tribe, he would sit stoically, either gazing intently at her or off into space. He reacted only when she mentioned Jeniiva, and then he would return her words with a slightly sad smile.  
  
"When are her kits due?" he asked one day as they sat together under a tree. They had long since abandoned his dark alley for more pleasant surroundings, at Lylisan's request.  
  
"Any day now," she replied. She glanced at him. "Do you... want me to come get you when it's time?" she asked tenatively.  
  
His eyes darkened and he looked away from her. "What for?" he muttered, "It's not as though I could come see them."  
  
"Yes you could," she answered, wanting desperately to turn him around to face her. "I've been looking around the yard near her nest and I think I've found a place for you to hide."  
  
He didn't speak for a moment. Then he slowly turned to look at her, and for an instant she thought she saw something like joy in his eyes. "I... I could see the kits... see Niiva?"  
  
She smiled, her heart throbbing at the hope in his rough voice. "Yes," she said quietly, "I think you could." And carefully, very carefully, she reached out and placed a hand on his face. For the first time, he didn't flinch at her touch, and in that moment, the tom from the alley became her Jequimas again.  
  
---  
  
A/N: Yes, I know two years doesn't seem like a very long time for our Jequimas to become jaded, but remember that in cat years, he's gone from 7 to 21 - quite a jump. 


	5. Discoveries

Chapter Five - Discoveries  
  
---  
  
It was well past midnight, judging from the moon. Jequimas dozed, reluctant to return to a sleep so frequently haunted by the images of his past.  
  
However, more recently his dreams had also been peppered with images of a sleek, dark queen - Lylisan. It had been wonderful to have her back, to spend hours together, sometimes talking, other times sitting in comfortable silence. She had grown to be quite pretty, he often mused to himself. It had been two days since they had last seen each other, but he could still feel the warmth of her hand against his cheek.  
  
These thoughts swimming in his head, he had just started to drift off when he heard her. "Jequimas! Oh Jequimas, you have to be here - it's time, Jequimas, they're coming!"  
  
His eyes flew open and he was at her side instantly, his eyes shining. "Time? Niiva - the kits?"  
  
"Yes! Oh, for Cat's sake, hurry! Follow me!"  
  
---  
  
They raced through the streets, Jequimas' heart pumping fit to burst. He was going home. For the first time in two years, he was going to see his home, his tribe, his family...  
  
But Lylisan made a sharp turn, one that didn't lead to the junkyard - at least not by any way he knew.  
  
"Lylisan," he gasped, "Where are we going?"  
  
"We have to go in the back way," she answered over her shoulder, "You can't be seen!" He followed her, doing something he hadn't done in what seemed like forever - trusting.  
  
---  
  
She led him through the piles of rubbish with surprising deftness, stopping a few yards from the huge, delapidated oven. Pulling him around so that he could see, she pointed and whispered, "There."  
  
He looked, and, quite against his will, he felt his eyes sting as he gazed at the silver queen curled up in the oven.  
  
Though her face was screwed up in pain and concentration, she was still beautiful. Her eyes were mirrors of his own, but full of the life that his lacked. Her coat looked as his might have, silver, black and white. He swelled stomach heaved and she groaned.  
  
Jennyanydots, looking much older than Jequimas remembered, had Jeniiva's head in her lap and was pressing a rag to her forehead. Jequimas' heart gave an odd twist as he recognized the other queen present.  
  
His mother.  
  
Her face was lined with age, but her eyes were the same - full of such a mixture of emotions that it was a wonder she didn't burst. He gazed at her for a long while, then turned to Lylisan, who was watching him with a small smile on her face.  
  
"Where's Rubeus?" he asked as softly as he could.  
  
"Mungo and your dad are keeping him away," she replied, just as softly. "Queens get in a bit of a state when there are toms about while they're birthing. Makes them nervous." She watched for a moment longer, then said, "I'd better go. They'll get suspicious if I'm gone too long. You'll be all right?" He nodded, and she was gone. He watched her approach the scene carefully.  
  
"Lylisan!" Demeter cried, "Where have you been? Jeniiva was asking about you!"  
  
Jeniiva, through her obvious pain, looked suspiciously at her friend. "Off on one of her..." she groaned, "walks, I suspect." With a strained smile, she grunted, "We need to talk about that."  
  
"You're not in any shape to talk about anything right now," Lylisan chided her, and Jequimas suspected that she was skirting an issue that somehow involved him. "Just lie back and -"  
  
She was cut off by Jeniiva's strangled cry. At first Jequimas wondered what had caused it. Then he noticed the small, slimy bundle emerging from his sister.  
  
"Oh Heaviside," he moaned, shutting his eyes and waiting for it to all be over.  
  
---  
  
When he opened them again, his sister was licking clean three very small, very wet kittens. She was obviously more at ease now that the birthing was finished; she seemed relaxed as she cleaned her new children.  
  
Jequimas watched in wonder. He was an uncle. He vaguely heard, over Jennyanydots' coos, Lylisan saying, "I'll go get Rubeus," and suddenly she was with him. "Aren't they beautiful?" she sighed. "Two queens and a tom." She smiled brilliantly. "Congratulations, Uncle. I'm off to get the father!"  
  
And she was gone again. Jequimas turned his attention back to the scene in the oven. His mother was speaking.  
  
"They're beautiful, darling. Do you have names for them yet?" Jeniiva gazed fondly at her kittens.  
  
"The girls are Azalel and Gemini," she answered. "And the boy..." she trailed off.  
  
"Yes?" Jennyanydots pressed, looking excited as always to see new kittens named.  
  
Jeniiva said something so softly that Jequimas couldn't hear her. But whatever it was caused Jenny's eyes to widen and his mother to close hers, as though in sudden pain. Meanwhile, Jeniiva was gazing raptly at the small tom kit was was feeding at her enthusiastically.  
  
"You know you can't do that, Niiva," Demeter finally said. "No two cats can have the same name."  
  
"I'll change it a bit then," Jeniiva answered stubbornly. "But he's got to have a bit of his name in him. He's just got to."  
  
Demeter sighed, looking at Jennyanydots helplessly. "They're her kits, Demi," the older queen sighed, shaking her head. "So be it."  
  
Jeniiva nuzzled the tom kit gently, and Jequimas could just barely hear (or feel, he wasn't quite sure) her whisper the kitten's new name into the night.  
  
"My little Quimas."  
  
---  
  
Over the next few weeks, Jequimas' visits to the junkyard became more and more frequent. It was worth it to him to have to sneak and skulk about his old home in order to catch a few glimpses of his nieces and nephew. He had to be extemely careful, however; he had almost been caught once.  
  
It wasn't long after the kittens' eyes had opened. Jequimas was hiding under a pile of rubbish, watching the kits tumble about with a pair of much older kittens who, by the look of them, must have been the litter with which Bombalurina was pregnant when Jequimas was banished. He was just wondering where little Quimas had gotten off to when suddenly a pair of bright blue eyes appeared directly in front of his own.  
  
Quimas blinked quizzically at him, and Jequimas stared back, shocked. After a moment he forced a grin and put a finger to his lips, saying, "Shhh. I'm hiding."  
  
It appeared that Quimas understood and endorsed this idea. He smiled and nodded, then turned and bounded away.  
  
Jequimas sighed in relief.  
  
---  
  
About a month after the incident with Quimas, Jequimas decided to sneak to his family's old home under the cover of night. Visits to the junkyard were all very well and good, but they had placed in him a desire to see his real home.  
  
He twisted through streets and alleys, finding that he still remembered perfectly the way to the house his humans owned. He reached it and peered through the window to the washing room, where his den had always been.  
  
His mother lay curled up with her younger sons, Grimterra and Phileasimal. They looked very peaceful; Jequimas suddenly had to fight down the desire to cry.  
  
He missed this.  
  
The next instant, a body slammed against his own, knocking him from the window. Jequimas' fighting instincts took over, and he immediately rolled out of the attack unharmed. His attacker lept onto his back, pulling him to the ground. They scuffled; Jequimas was sure he got in at least one good rake of his claws.  
  
When he flipped the other tom, throwing him a good distance away, he turned, looking him full in the face for the first time.  
  
Their eyes locked.  
  
And in the moment before his father could say his name, Jequimas fled.  
  
---  
  
A/N: Sorry this chapter was so short. I'm sure I'll make up for it. 


	6. The Second Storm

Chapter Six - The Second Storm  
  
---  
  
There had been no retribution.  
  
Munkustrap had not followed his son, nor made any mention of his reappearance to anyone.  
  
But a week later, something happened that he knew would eventually force him to come foward.  
  
Jeniiva was beside herself with worry; she cried constantly. Rubeus was livid. Demeter was frantic. The rest of the tribe remained restless and suspicious.  
  
Azalel was gone.  
  
She had disappeared exactly a week after Munkustrap saw Jequimas at the window of their den. Much as he didn't want to believe it, the only possibly explanation seemed to be that, for whatever reason, Jequimas had kidnapped his new niece.  
  
But no one else knew he was back. Munkustrap was torn. If he told the tribe - and more importantly, Demeter - that Jequimas he returned, it would only cause chaos... and quite possibly, a cathunt led by Plato. And Jeniiva's reaction wouldn't be easy to bear.  
  
But then... what was right had never been easy.  
  
---  
  
The toms had gathered at the junkyard to discuss Azalel's disappearance. As Munkustrap had predicted, Plato was worked up into a near frenzy. And he wasn't the only one out for blood.  
  
"I want my girl back!" Rubeus roared. His face was flushed and his eyes bright with anger.  
  
"I understand that," Munkustrap answered wearily. He had been in his father's place as Jellicle leader for only a year, but it felt like much longer. "We all do." He hadn't yet told them about Jequimas. He wasn't sure he could.  
  
However, it soon became apparent that he wouldn't necessarily have to.  
  
"Munkustrap," Plato said quietly to him as the other toms argued about what was to be done, "we can't rule out the possibility of... well, of Jequimas."  
  
Munkustrap stiffened. "Why would Jequimas kidnap his own niece?"  
  
"It would be a perfect revenge, wouldn't it?" Plato continued fervently, "Revenge for us banishing him. Think of Macavity."  
  
"Jequimas isn't Macavity!" Munkustrap answered hotly.  
  
"He killed my DAUGHTER!" Plato cried.  
  
The rest of the toms fell silent as they gazed warily at the two of them.  
  
Munkustrap sighed; there was nothing to say to something like that. He nodded, realizing that the time had come to tell them what he had seen. "Jequimas has been near the tribe," he began. Murmurs flew through the group. "He was at the window of our den a week ago. I attacked him, not knowing who he was. He ran."  
  
Plato had a vindictive gleam in his eyes. "You see? He was planning it then!"  
  
"That doesn't make any sense, Plato," Munkustrap spat.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because if Jequimas was planning to kidnap Azalel, he would have been at Jeniiva's den, not mine."  
  
This didn't seem to have any impact on Plato - or on anyone else, for that matter. They were all nodding and whispering, as though quite convinced already.  
  
"Besides, we don't even know where Jequimas is keeping himself."  
  
The toms paused to consider this. Then Rubeus growled, "Lylisan."  
  
All eyes turned to him. His eyes were narrowed. "Lylisan would know where 'e is," he explained, his voice low and dangerous. "'Walks,' my tail - I'd bet anythin' she's been sneakin' out t' see him awl these nights."  
  
Munkustrap watched as the toms resumed talking amongst themselves and sighed. "Bring her."  
  
---  
  
Rubeus and Plato fetched a frightened Lylisan and brought her back to the junkyard, where by now the entire tribe had assembled. Munkustrap looked at her for a long time, his eyes sad and aged. "Lylisan," he said gently, "Do you know where Jequimas is hiding?"  
  
Lylisan glanced nervously at Coricopat, Tantomile, and Teilujah, who were watching her calmly. They would know in an instant if she was telling the truth. "No," she answered loudly.  
  
"She's lying," Coricopat said flatly, looking at Munkustrap.  
  
Munkustrap nodded, his eyes closed. Plato growled. "It's obviously no use lying," he hissed at Lylisan. "Azalel has gone missing and we have every reason to believe it's Jequimas that took her."  
  
"No!" Lylisan exclaimed. "He didn't! He wouldn't do that!"  
  
"You didn't believe he killed my daughter either," Plato sneered, "but you were proved wrong, weren't you?"  
  
"He didn't kill Orea!" Lylisan insisted, "It was Macavity!"  
  
Bitter laughter sifted through the tribe, many of the older cats shaking their heads. Munkustrap looked stern. "Lylisan, Macavity's been dead for years. Everyone knows that." When she opened her mouth to protest, he cut her off. "No. Please, Lyli... just tell us where he is. If nothing else... well, if he hasn't taken Azalel, we'll just be proven wrong."  
  
He could feel Plato glaring at him, but he didn't meet his gaze. He knew that Lylisan wouldn't readily show them where Jequimas was, and he had to make her as comfortable as possible.  
  
Tears began to stream down her face. "No... I can't..."  
  
"Munkustrap, force her!" Plato demanded, and Rubeus nodded in agreement. "Or maybe..." Plato said, dropping his voice, "you don't really want us to go looking for Jequimas?" The murmuring began. "Maybe you're trying to protect him." He brought his face close to Munkustrap's, and the silver tom could plainly see the pain in his eyes, even through his zeal. "Your granddaughter's life may be in danger," he whispered. "Are you willing to let your murderer of a son go for that?"  
  
Munkustrap stared at Lylisan, who was crying silently. He sighed.  
  
"Show us, Lyli."  
  
But Lylisan was gone before any of them could so much as blink. She streaked away through the crowd, clearly not intending for anyone to follow her. Rubeus went to chase her, but Plato stopped him. "Wait a bit," he said, "then tail her. She'll lead us straight to him."  
  
---  
  
She streaked along as fast as she could, praying to whoever would listen that she wasn't being followed. She had to warn Jequimas, to let him know they were coming - because no matter how much she hoped otherwise, she knew they soon would.  
  
"Jequimas!" she gasped when she reached his alley. As always, he was with her in a moment. She heaved for breath. "Jequimas... tribe... coming..."  
  
"What?" he asked, his eyes wide. She swayed a little and he caught her, steadying her.  
  
"Azalel... is gone," she managed, slowly catching her breath. "Everyone thinks... you did it. Go!" She tried to push herself away from him, but he held her fast. "I'm probably being followed!" she insisted. "You don't have much time!"  
  
"Azalel's gone missing?" Jequimas repeated. She nodded and his eyes narrowed. "Macavity. I'm sure of it."  
  
"I tried to tell them, Jequimas," she said, a sob sticking in her throat, "I tried to tell them Macavity killed Orea, but -"  
  
"Of course they didn't believe you," he cut in. "They still insist that he's dead." Still holding her, he gazed into the space over her head. "I've got to find him," he whispered roughly, "That's the only way. The only way they'll believe me is if I bring back his body." He stared fiercely at her. "Lylisan. You've got to hold them off. Stall them. I've got to find him before they find me."  
  
She nodded. "Good luck." He gazed at her a moment longer, his eyes softening as he took her chin gently in his hand.  
  
"Thank you," he whispered.  
  
And he was gone.  
  
--- 


	7. Truth

Chapter Seven - Truth  
  
---  
  
He had no idea where he was going. Macavity could be absolutely anywhere. He only hoped that Lylisan could buy him enough time to find him...  
  
And that Macavity hadn't killed Azalel by the time he did.  
  
---  
  
The kitten had been ridiculously easy to take. She had wandered, quite unwatched, away from her playmates, straight into his claws. He watched her for a long time. She had her grandmother's eyes, he noted. In fact, the combination of her mother and father's coats had produced an interestingly Demeter-like look in the kitten.  
  
Thus Macavity's interest was piqued. And of course, the Jellicles had no idea where the girl had gone.  
  
It was remarkable what you could get away with when you're dead.  
  
---  
  
They found her quite alone, at the edge of an alley. "Where is 'e!?" Rubeus demanded.  
  
"I... I don't know," Lylisan stammered.  
  
Plato shot a glance at Coricopat, who looked mildly surprised. "She's telling the truth."  
  
But Plato and Rubeus weren't satisfied. "You must have some idea where he's gone!" Plato said, taking her roughly by the shoulders. "And if Munkustrap won't force you, then damn it, I will!"  
  
"All right!" she cried, looking shaken, "All right. I'll... I'll take you to him."  
  
"Where?" Rubeus growled.  
  
"He... he lived here," Lylisan said haltingly, "But this wasn't where we'd meet." She looked up at Plato, her eyes wide. "He must be there."  
  
---  
  
Macavity sighed. A disadvantage to being dead was that no one came looking for you when you did something spectacular.  
  
"Only one member - or should I say ex-member? - of your tribe know I'm alive," he said silkily to the tiny queen whom he had bound tightly with rope. "And no one's going to be listening to him any time soon."  
  
He smirked, remembering that night two years ago.  
  
---  
  
While the Jellicles, were celebrating, Macavity and one of his henchcats (there had been so many; this particular cat's name escaped him) had stolen into the supposedly "secret" den where the kittens less than a year old were kept. As he had expected, they were all asleep.  
  
All except one.  
  
He had gagged and bound the smallest queen quickly and deftly, beckoning his henchcat to carry her. They stole away silently, and, unaware that they were being followed, were quite a distance away before the boy attacked.  
  
He had jumped on the henchcat, causing him to drop their prize. The henchcat cried out in pain as the tomkit's claws dug into his shoulder. He fell, and the kit turned to Macavity, showing only the merest flicker of fear.  
  
"Let Orea go," he had demanded, his young voice trembling slightly.  
  
Macavity had laughed. "Let her go? But my boy... I'm afraid that would interfere with my plans."  
  
Just then his recovered cronie jumped at the boy. "Kill him as well," Macavity snarled, turning away. As the henchcat dragged the hissing kitten away, Macavity untied Orea, holding her by the scruff of her neck. He brought his claws down on her throat.  
  
And somewhere in the junkyard, a scream was heard.  
  
---  
  
I was quite perturbed at first," he mused to his current captive, "when my scout told me your uncle had killed my henchman." Azalel looked as though she had no idea what he was talking about.  
  
"But then he told me," Macavity paused to chuckle, "that they had banished him!" He laughed fully, tossing back his head. "Banished! They thought he had killed the girl." Smirking, he glanced at her. "Your tribe's ignorance can be quite amusing."  
  
He sighed then, and gazed heavenward. "I suppose there really isn't anyone coming for you," he said, sounding truly disappointed. "Best get on with it." He grabbed her roughly then, his silky demeanor evaporating instantly. Eyes shining, he raised his claws.  
  
---  
  
"STOP!"  
  
Surprisingly, Macavity paused and looked up. A smirk spread across his face and he glanced down at the tiny, bound kitten. "It appears you have a savior after all," he told her. He released her and she fell to the ground. "Though he's just a kitten, by the look of him," he continued, striding toward Jequimas. "I know who you are, of course," he added. "You're Jequimas... Munkustrap's oldest son." His smirk became more pronounced. "You were banished by your own tribe." He tutted, shaking his head in mock concern. "You must have done something awful. I seem to remember... what was it?" he muttered, feigning a struggle to remember, "Ah yes." His eyes narrowed. "You killed the youngest kitten in your tribe."  
  
Jequimas was shaking with rage. "That's not true and you know it."  
  
Macavity pursed his lips. "That's true," he said, maddeningly smug, "But no one else does. They all think I'm dead."  
  
"I'll soon prove them right," the younger tom growled, extending his claws.  
  
"It hurts, doesn't it?" Macavity remarked, still very calm, "When they turn their backs on you?" Jequimas paused. "To know that they all believe you're a murderer?"  
  
"They didn't all," Jequimas contradicted.  
  
"Oh yes they did," the red tom said, nodding wisely. "They all did."  
  
"Lylisan didn't..." Jequimas said, his brow furrowing. "She said she didn't. She... and Niiva and my mother... she said they didn't."  
  
"Did she." Macavity began circling him, quite at his ease. "She was lying, Jequimas."  
  
"No!"  
  
"Yes. Did you know..." he said, lowering his voice to barely a whisper, "That it only takes one cat to turn the vote of the tribe?" Jequimas looked into his steel blue eyes. "Only one. Any one of them could have saved you." He smirked. "But they didn't. Because they believed it was true." He stared hard at him for a moment longer, then backed up, his hands behind his back. "It was the same with me, of course," he mentioned, looking quite serene. "My wonderful brothers," he sneered, "didn't stand up for me either."  
  
Jequimas stared at him. "You were banished too?"  
  
Macavity looked mildly surprised. "Oh yes. They never told you?" When Jequimas shook his head, Macavity smirked again. "Of course. They wouldn't have. Yes, I was banished too. My situation was much the same as yours, I'm afraid. No one wanted me either."  
  
"I was wanted," Jequimas said stubbornly.  
  
"Were you?" he said, raising his eyebrows. "Then why did they all let you go?" Jequimas didn't have an answer for this. Macavity inclined his head. "I thought as much." He resumed his circling.  
  
Jequimas was still for a moment. Then he remembered why he was here. "Let... let Azalel go."  
  
Macavity smiled blandly. "What's this? You still want her to live?" He strode over to the kitten, grabbing her once again by the scruff of her neck. "The kitten of the sister who didn't want you? The grandchild of the mother who didn't care enough to speak up for you?" He thrust Azalel toward him. "They obviously didn't love you. And yet you think she deserves their love?"  
  
Jequimas stared at the kitten. She was trembling. "It's not her fault."  
  
"Indeed," Macavity agreed, letting her go again, "but that doesn't change things, does it? I know you still hurt," he whispered, bringing his face very close to Jequimas', "I feel the same way. They're a treacherous lot, Jequimas. Ready to drop you at any moment." He paused, watching the tears well up in the younger tom's eyes. "So many bad things have happened to cats like you and me," he said softly, his hand on Jequimas' shoulder. He extended the claws of the other hand, holding them under his nose. "Don't you think they deserve something bad in return?"  
  
Jequimas watched numbly as Macavity slowly stalked over to Azalel, his claws poised to strike. He brought them down -  
  
And stopped, inches from her throat. "Or better yet..." he muttered, turning to Jequimas, his eyes gleaming. He pulled Azalel to her feet and dragged her to Jequimas. "I've already exacted some of my revenge," he said, "But... you've never gotten the chance." He shoved Azalel toward him and she collapsed against him. He stared wide-eyed at her, unsure of what to do.  
  
"It's very therapeutic," Macavity offered softly.  
  
Jequimas slowly extended his claws.  
  
---  
  
He cut the ropes swiftly and pushed the kitten aside. "Azalel, RUN!" he commanded.  
  
Taken aback, Macavity barely had time to react before Jequimas flew at his throat. He growled and dodged the attack, but not before feeling the younger tom's claws graze against him.  
  
"Idiot," he muttered, advancing on Jequimas. His pale eyes were narrow and deadly. "You should know better than to challenge me. Toms older and stronger than you have made that mistake and have died for it."  
  
If these words unnerved Jequimas, he didn't show it. He merely beckoned the ginger tom forward. Snarling, Macavity attacked.  
  
---  
  
Lylisan hated this. She had no way of knowing when it would be safe to take the toms back to the junkyard. She had been leading them around in random directions under the guise of taking them to Jequimas for about a half hour, and they were starting to grow impatient.  
  
"How. Much. Longer," Plato growled, clearly resisting the urge to throttle her.  
  
"Just a few more turns," she answered, growing nervous. She was beginning to wonder what would happen when they learned that she had no intention of taking them to Jequimas.  
  
It didn't take long. After the next few detours, Rubeus snarled, "You're leadin' us in circles!" and grabbed her wrist. "I'm sick o' this! My daughter is ou-"  
  
"DADDY!"  
  
Rubeus released Lylisan immediately and turned to see Azalel streaking toward him. He scooped her up, burying his face in her fur and muttering, "Azalel, my girl, my li'l angel..."  
  
While the toms marveled at the kitten's sudden return, Lylisan's worries increased. What did this mean? Had Jequimas reached Macavity? Had he fought with him?  
  
Was he still alive?  
  
--- 


	8. The Calm After

Chapter 8 - The Calm After

---

He was alive. He was bleeding, eyes slightly out of focus, and spread-eagled on the ground, but he was alive. Macavity stood over him, looking worse for the wear, but triumphant.

"I told you you couldn't beat me," he said softly, a manic gleam in his eyes. He spit a bit of blood onto the ground near Jequimas' head. "I'll admit," he sighed, "killing you won't be nearly as satisfying as killing a kitten your tribe actually cares about." He chuckled. "But it will have to do."

He raised his claws, preparing to bring them down. Jequimas watched blurrily, one thought suddenly screaming through his mind.

'I don't want to die.'

He wasn't sure where he found the strength - through his will to live, or through the hatred he felt when he glared into Macavity's ice-blue eyes, or through the thought of Lylisan's face if she found him dead. But somehow, as Macavity came bearing down on him, he managed to shoot out his arm, catching Macavity's wrist. Startled, Macavity had no time to prepare for Jequimas plunging his own claws into his heart.

"For Orea," he muttered as Macavity's cold eyes glazed over. He fell with a thud to the ground by Jequimas.

And Jequimas, his last bit of energy spent, closed his eyes.

---

"What do you mean?" Plato asked Azalel, not wanting to believe his ears.

"She means just what she said, Plato," Lylisan said irritably. "Azalel," she said kindly, addressing the trembling kitten, "you're quite sure now? A big red cat took you, is that right?" Azalel nodded.

"But... that means..."

"Can you take us to 'im, love?" Rubeus asked, holding his daughter's hand tightly. She looked positively petrified, but nodded just the same.

---

Someone was saying his name.

"Jequimas? Oh no... Jequimas, please don't be dead..."

Another voice.

"What the..."

Jequimas tried to force his eyes to open. His eyelids wouldn't lift; they were too heavy. If he could just sleep...

"No, Jequimas, stay with me. Please Jequimas, you can't be dead, I won't LET you be dead..."

Lylisan? He tried to open his eyes again. This time he succeeded, and the world slid into a blur of color.

"Oh, thank Cat," the blurred shape in front of him said. "Jequimas? Can you hear me?" He tried to nod, blinked, and tried again. He swallowed.

"Lylisan?"

"It's me, Jequimas." He suddenly came into focus, all wet eyes and weak smiles.

"Macavity?"

"He's dead." Her arms were wrapped tightly around him. "Heaviside, Jequimas... he could have killed you."

"Didn't he?" She laughed weakly, a tear leaking from her eye. "Is Azalel all right?"

"Yes. She found us... brought us here." Lylisan drew a shuddering breath. "Are you all right?" She shook her head. "Oh no, that's a stupid thing to ask, of course you're not -"

"I'll be fine," he croaked, struggling, through his pain and Lylisan's embrace, to pull himself into a sitting position. As he did, he saw a small group of toms from his old tribe staring at him. Alonzo was kneeling over Macavity's dead body, looking dumb-struck. Rubeus was gazing at Jequimas with a mixture of fear and wonder, clutching Azalel to him.

As Jequimas sat up fully, Azalel poked her father's arm and whispered, "That's 'im, Daddy. The nice 'ne. He set me loose." 

Jequimas managed a feeble smile, holding his hand to his ribs. He turned his attention back to Alonzo, who had started toward him. The world was sliding out of focus again, but he had to tell Alonzo something important.

"'Lonzo," he muttered, willing his eyes to stay open, "I'm... I'm sorry about... Orea..."

He didn't hear Alonzo's reply - the world had gone dark.

---

When he awoke, the first thing he noticed was that he was laying on something soft. He opened his eyes and discovered that he was laying on a bed of rags in a den he had not seen in a long time - it was the den he and Jeniiva had shared in their kittenhood. He turned his head and was surprised to see Lylisan, asleep, her head resting near his chest. He watched her for a moment.

Suddenly, a gentle voice said, "She hasn't left your side since you arrived."

Jequimas' head jerked around to see Orea, glowing softly, standing beside him. He hadn't seen her since the night of his banishment. "Orea... how long have I been here?"

"Almost a week."

He nodded. "So are you staying around?"

"Not for long. I have other places to be." She smiled at him, in the way only little queen kittens at peace can. "I wanted to thank you."

He decided not to ask what for. He nodded again. "I hope... well... Can you... move on, or..."

She laughed. "Yes, I think so." Jequimas marveled at how mature she sounded. It was as though her spirit had aged with him, and only her ethereal body had retained its young shape. "Well. Thank you, Jequimas. I think things are going to be all right." And with another smile that warmed him through, she vanished.

Jequimas sighed and looked back at Lylisan. As he did, a splash of color on the rags caught his eye. He took a closer look and realized that it was a tiny orange flower, slightly wilted, lying on the rags near the place where his head had been. Gingerly, so as to not wake Lylisan, he picked it up and examined it, bemused.

Lylisan's voice jolted him out of his reverie. "Azalel," she said simply. He turned to her, raising an eyebrow. She smiled sleepily and explained, "She brought it by a few days ago. Seemed she wanted to thank you for saving her from Macavity." She yawned. "I think she's rather taken with you."

He grinned. "I'm sure Rubeus will be thrilled." Her smiled widened as he gently tucked the flower behind her ear. "There." He gazed at her for a moment, and had just begun to lean toward her when he noticed, with horror, that she had tears in her eyes. "What is it?" he asked, frantically trying to figure out what he had done wrong.

Lylisan shook her head, swiftly wiping her eyes. "I'm just..." She sighed, not meeting his eyes. "You could have died, Jequimas. And then..." She shook her head again.

"Then what?" he asked softly.

She closed her eyes. "What would I have done?"

Taken aback, Jequimas remained silent. What would she have done? She'd have gone on living, she'd have lived to a ripe old age and told her great-grandchildren about the hoarse-voiced street tom she used to know.

Wouldn't she? He told her so.

She looked horrorstruck. "Gone on... Jequimas...?" Then she laughed, a laugh without humor. "You can't be serious."

He stared back at her. "Well, why not?" He felt extremely stupid. She kept looking at him as though he should be saying something, understanding something. He didn't know. His ribs hurt.

Then she smiled, and he felt better. He wasn't stupid after all.

But when she suddenly leaned forward to kiss him, he was certainly struck dumb.

---

"Ahem."

They broke apart with almost painful speed, heat rising in both their faces. Jequimas was horrified to find his uncle watching them, looking very amused. The Rum Tum Tugger smiled. "Welcome back, Jequimas." Jequimas blushed and Tugger shook his head. "Your dad wants to see you." He turned to leave, and added, "You old rascal," over his should as he took his exit.

Jequimas blinked and turned to Lylisan, who was watching him with an expression that made his heart thud against his ribs, causing them to complain. He ignored them. "Am I in trouble?" he asked at length.

She laughed. "Trouble? Jequimas, you're a hero. Everyone's already heard what happened. I imagine Munkustrap wants to bring you back into the tribe." Jequimas knew this information should have made him happy, but he suddently felt numb. This wasn't lost on Lylisan. "What's wrong?"

"It's just... this is a lot to handle. I just woke up," he pointed out.

Lylisan smiled. "You'll be fine. I'll come with you." She stood and took his hand, pulling him up with her. "Come on, he's your own father. There's nothing to be scared of."

And as they set off to find Munkustrap, Jequimas couldn't help thinking that blood relation was no insurance against fear.

---

Though Jequimas had seen his father recently, he was still shocked to see how old the Jellicle leader looked. Much of the silver fur surrounding his face had turned white, and he looked incredibly tired. But when he saw Lylisan and Jequimas approaching him, his lined face broke into a smile.

"Jequimas..." was all he could manage before his voice broke and he embraced his oldest son. Jequimas hesitated, then wrapped his arms around his father.

After a moment, Munkustrap pulled away and hurriedly wiped his eyes. "Well," he said gruffly, "Lylisan's told me what happened with Macavity, and... what happened with Orea." There was a pause; Jequimas wondered if he should say something. "I... well of course you'd be furious with us, but..." he sighed, "Well, if you want to rejoin the tribe..."

Jequimas glanced at Lylisan, who was smiling at him. "Of course I want to," he said. Munkustrap looked relieved.

"Good." He looked at his son for a moment, his expression sober, and said, "I'm so sorry about the past two years, Jequimas."

Jequimas shook his head. "It's past," he muttered, embarrassed at his father's humility.

Munkustrap nodded. "Yes... Well, the ball's only a few days away, of course. We'll have your official acceptance then." Jequimas nodded, wondering why he felt so incredibly awkward in front of his own father.

Suddenly the older tom pulled him into another crushing hug, making all his bruises protest loudly. Just as quickly, he released him and said, "Well, get some rest. We'll see you at the ball." He turned and was off.

Lylisan turned to Jequimas, beaming. "See? I told you!" But Jequimas didn't smile. He was staring after his father. "What is it?"

He shook his head. "Didn't you feel it?"

"Feel what?"

"It was so... tense." He turned his eyes to her. "Something's not on. It just felt..."

Lylisan shook her head, looking at him almost piteously. "Oh, Jequimas, I wouldn't worry about it. It's been two years since you've spoke to him. You can't expect it to be like old times all of a sudden."

He nodded. Because that was all he could do.

---

Jequimas passed the next few days in an odd sort of haze. It was the strangest feeling, being reintroduced to cats he'd known for years. Forrestia, part of his old gang, was stiff and awkward with him, as thought they had never met. It was the same with most of the others - they shook his hand, and apologized, and thanked him, and told him they were glad he was back.

There were two exceptions. Phileasimal, silent as ever, simply studied him for a moment before giving him a swift smile and a nod, and was gone. And there was Jeniiva, who he hugged for a very long time as she cried into his shoulder. She never apologized - she didn't need to. Of all the tribe members with whom Jequimas was reunited during those days, his sister was the only one who truly made him feel at home.

On the morning before the Ball, Jequimas awoke feeling inexplicably sullen. He sat in his den, staring straight ahead, his brain uncomfortably numb. He barely reacted when Lylisan entered. She noticed.

"What's the matter?" she asked, without so much as a good morning. She sat next to him, studying his face.

He shook his head; he wasn't sure. He had a hunch, a gnawing suspicion in the back of his mind, but he was afraid that voicing it would make it far more real than he wanted it to be.

Though she continued to eye him skeptically, Lylisan nodded. "Mm. Well, you've got the Ball tonight, and you've never been to one. That'll be fun, won't it?" She spoke in a way that suggested she knew perfectly well he would not think it was fun, and would he please tell her what was wrong.

He shrugged and she sighed. "Well. Do you want to go for a walk?" He obliged, knowing he'd end up going no matter what.

But he still didn't speak.

--- 


	9. Decisions

Chapter Nine - Decisions

---

"What's been bothering you, Jequimas?" Lylisan asked worriedly as they roamed through Hyde Park. They had been walking in silence for nearly an hour. "And it's no use saying it's nothing, because I'm not stupid."

For the first time in what seemed like years, Jequimas cracked a small smile. "I know you're not," he said quietly. He sighed.

There was another silence, then Lylisan said, "You know, you should really just leave."

Jequimas jerked his head around to stare at her. "What?"

She shrugged. "You should leave." He gaped at her. "It's obvious you want to," she continued, staring at the ground as they walked. "I'm not sure why... I'd think this would be what... what you've wanted." There was a strange note in her voice that Jequimas wasn't used to hearing. She blinked rapidly a few times and looked back up at him, her jaw set. "But if you really want to go, you should."

Jequimas didn't know quite what to say. This was indeed what had been troubling him, but how could she have known? He dropped his eyes, because he suddenly couldn't bare to face her. "It's just..." How could he explain? "This is what I did want," he said quietly, "But... once I got it, I just..." He shook his head, trying to clear it. "It doesn't feel right, Lyli. You said it would take some getting used to. And I'm sure you're right. But I just don't feel... I don't feel right about coming into the tribe, that's all. Nobody here really knows me. I don't really know anyone. It's coming into a tribe full of strangers, Lyli, and that's not what I wanted. I wanted to come home to my family."

Lylisan looked up at him, a slightly pained expression on her face. "This is your family, Jequimas. Whether it feels right or not... they're all you have."

"I have you." He said this so quietly that he wasn't sure at first that she had heard him. He didn't look at her, but saw her face soften out of the corner of his eye and suddenly felt her hand in his.

"That's true," she whispered. They walked in silence for a bit longer and she continued, "But think about it, Jequimas. When I... when we found each other again, I was practically a stranger, wasn't I? But we got on all right."

He shook his head. "It wasn't the same with you. You were..." he struggled with words. "You were the same as ever. I didn't feel like I had to be anything with you, you know? I could just be what I had become. I didn't feel like you expected anything from me."

Lylisan studied him carefully. "What do you think the rest of the tribe expects from you?"

"I don't know." He felt suddenly sullen. "I think they want me to be like I used to be. You know, before... everything. I'm afraid they want me to be a kitten again, and I'm just not."

"Of course you're not," Lylisan agreed, nodding. "But I don't think anyone wants you to be. I think they're just glad to have you back. Just like I am."

Jequimas stopped and studied her incredulously. "You're telling me they don't feel odd, suddenly having me back? For Cat's sake, Mum and Dad have gotten an extra son after two years of not having one. That's got to be strange, Lyli. You can't convince me they don't feel awkward sometimes."

"Well I'm sure they do," she conceded, "But they'll readjust, just like you will." She took his other hand and stared up at him. "I wish you'd stay, Jequimas. I really do. But," she sighed, "You have to do what you think is right. I can't make up your mind for you."

He nodded, lost in thought, staring over her head. Then he focused on her and said, "If I were to leave, would you come with me?"

Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped slightly. "Come - with you?" she repeated, sounding shocked. "What...?"

He gripped her hands tightly. "I want to be with you, Lylisan. No matter whether I choose to stay or go." He stared at the ground. "Say you'd come with me."

She laid a hand on his cheek and he closed his eyes. "I want to be with you too, Jequimas," she whispered. He could feel the "but" coming before she even said it. "But no matter what you feel for the tribe now... they're still my family." He screwed up his eyes, as though trying to shut out what she was saying. "I couldn't leave them."

He nodded, though he didn't really understand.

---

The ball was hurtling toward Jequimas like a speeding train. He had taken to avoiding everyone, even Lylisan. He had been wrestling with himself, constantly in two minds as to what to do. On the one hand, he could not imagine staying with the tribe; the discomfort and awkwardness he had experienced during the first days of his return had shown no signs of receding, and on the rare occasions when he did see members of the tribe, they treated him as though he was a a visiting celebrity rather than an old friend.

On the other hand, he couldn't even think of leaving Lylisan. He had just found her, he told himself, and he was determined not to lose her again. But she wanted to stay with the tribe, and Jequimas seriously doubted he could change her mind about that.

He was sitting in his den, staring at the wall, when he heard his sister's voice. "Tiger?"

"Come on in," he said, smiling at her as she entered. She returned it.

"How're you doing?" she asked, sitting next to him and laying her head on his shoulder. He shrugged, causing Jeniiva's head to rise and fall. "That well, huh?"

He grinned. "Just thinking, that's all."

She sat up and studied him. "Excited about the ball?" When he didn't answer, she looked into his face. "No?" He remained silent. "Jequimas? What's wrong?"

Knowing that his sister was just was stubborn as he, Jequimas sighed and told her what was on his mind. She listened patiently and when he was finished, sighed and concentrated on the same point on the wall at which he was staring. "I know what you mean," she said at length. "I've talked to Mum about it, about how everyone's treating you like some sort of hero. Not to say you aren't," she amended, "but that doesn't mean everyone has to treat you like... I don't know. They're not acting normal, that's all. They're afraid of you."

Jequimas' brow furrowed and he frowned. "Afraid of me? They were afraid of me when they thought I was a murderer. Why are they still afraid even though they know I'm not?"

"Because you're not the same Jequimas that was banished from the tribe two years ago," Jeniiva answered patiently. "They remember you as a kitten, a kitten who was troublesome and obnoxious and -"

"All right, all right, I get it."

She smiled. "But still a kitten. I think they're afraid... well, maybe not of you, but of what you've become. They know you're not the same. They just don't know what you are."

"I'm me," he answered feebly. "How will they get to know who I am if they keep treating me like I'm a step above them?"

"They won't," Jeniiva answered bluntly. He looked at her. "That's why if you want to leave, you should do it soon."

'Trust my twin to know,' Jequimas thought sardonically.

"I could tell them why you left," she continued, "So you wouldn't have to face them yourself." He didn't say anything. "Unless there's something that's keeping you here?" she pressed, a smile playing around the corners of her mouth.

He glared at her and she nodded. "I thought so. She won't leave with you, will she?" It wasn't really a question; he shook his head. "So that's why you haven't left yet." He nodded and she sighed. They sat in silence for a good long while, then Jeniiva said, "So what will you do?"

"I don't know," he replied. "I just don't know." They continued to stare at the wall in silence, then Jequimas stood and walked out of the den. 

Jeniiva watched him go and nodded to herself.

---

The ball would begin in mere moments, and Munkustrap - as was his custom - was fretful. "You're sure everything is in order?" he asked Grimterra, who, as Jellicle protector, was in charge of the preparations.

Grimterra sighed inaudibly. "Yes sir," he answered as patiently as he could, "Nothing has changed since you asked 10 minutes ago." From the corner of his eye he saw his father frown at him, but couldn't be bothered by it. Everything was in order.

... Except for the small matter of Jequimas.

'Oh well,' Grimterra thought, 'No need to bother him with that right now. He's nearly ready to keel over as it is.'

This was certainly true, but not unusual. The aging tom was pacing up and down outside the junkyard, his brow knit in concentration. Though this was far from his first time performing the duties as Jellicle leader, he never could quite convince himself that he knew exactly what he was doing.

Grimterra, peering through the darkness into the clearing, saw the first of the tribe members beginning to arrive. He turned to Munkustrap.

"It's time."

--- 


	10. Where I Belong

Chapter Ten - Where I Belong

---

"I hope you know what you're doing, Tiger."

"I hope I do, too."

"What did you tell Lylisan?"

"You have told her you're leaving, haven't you?" Jequimas maintained his silence, not looking at his twin. "Jequimas, you have to tell her! What are you going to do, just make her wonder where you've gone?"

"She'll figure it out eventually," he replied evasively. "We talked about my leaving... I'm sure she'll realize what's happened when I don't show up at the ball."

Jeniiva frowned at him. "You're such an arse. I don't care if you leave, but the least you could do is say a proper goodbye to your mate!"

"She's not my mate!" Jequimas retaliated, looking embarrassed. "I... we... well, there was something there, no denying that, but..." he sighed. "I'm afraid that if I see her again, I won't be able to leave."

Jeniiva's eyes softened. "That doesn't surprise me. You can't do anything the easy way, can you?" He grinned at her and she blinked back tears. "Fine then. I'll tell her you've gone. Not that it'll be pleasant... I personally don't enjoy dealing with the broken hearted."

Jequimas' smile faded and he looked away. "I doubt it will break her heart. If she cared that deeply about me, she'd come with me." Jeniiva shook her head but didn't reply as she pulled him to her and embraced him. "I'll visit you and the kits," he said, his voice thick.

"You'd better," was all she could manage before turning and heading toward the junkyard, where most of the tribe had already gathered to celebrate.

---

"It's time. Where's Jequimas?"

"Ah yes. About that."

Munkustrap glared at Grimterra. "Where. Is. Jequimas?"

Grimterra, although fully grown, still trembled under his father's fierce stare. "Well... we weren't exactly able to... find him."

"... What?"

---

Jequimas moved swiftly away from the junkyard. His chest felt heavy and he blinked frequently, but not once did he stop until he reached his old haunt. He slumped against a wall and held his head in his hands, still not positive that he had done the right thing. Should he have made his decision known to the tribe? Should he have left at all? He shook his head. He couldn't go back to the tribe. He didn't belong there. But as he stared at the familiar surroundings of the place where he had spent the better part of his life, he slowly realized that he didn't really belong here either. But before he could wonder where he did belong, the answer appeared in the entrance of the alley.

Lylisan simply stared at him without saying a word, and he returned both the gaze and the silence.

Finally she spoke. "Your father's in fits." Jequimas didn't reply. He looked away from her and stared at the building opposite him. Lylisan approached him - slowly but unafraid. "It came time to rejoin you to the tribe and you were nowhere to be found. As soon as you didn't appear I knew you'd gone. Jeniiva wouldn't tell anyone where you were..." She stopped in front of him. "But I could guess."

Jequimas lifted his eyes to her face. She didn't look angry. She didn't look confused. And she certainly didn't look broken-hearted. Finally he spoke. "Why are you here?"

She replied with the slightest of smiles. "Well, you weren't going to say goodbye to me, so I decided to come and say goodbye to you."

A flurry of questions filled Jequimas' mind as he stared into her face. What did she mean? Was he never to see her again? Was she angry with him for not saying goodbye? Why was she still smiling? His brow furrowed, his silent way of asking all these questions at once.

Lylisan knelt down so that their faces were leve, her smile fading. "Are you really never coming back?"

He looked away. "I told Jeniiva I'd come back to visit her kittens," he replied, "But... I don't think I'll ever rejoin the tribe." He stared at the ground. "It's not my place, Lyli. It hasn't been for a long time." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "I don't seem to have a place."

The queen leaned back on her heels and studied him. After a few moments' silence, she said decidedly, "Well. This certainly isn't your place." He raised an eyebrow. "This," she continued, "is the home of a tom living in exile from his tribe. As you don't have a tribe, this sort of place is unnecessary." She stood and pulled him to his feet. She continued lightly, "If you are going to abandon your friends and family, you really should do so in a better environment."

With that, she turned and headed out of the alley, beckoning him to follow. He did so. "Where are we going?"

"Someplace better."

---

She led him to the park, where they had walked only days before. Jequimas had expected them to wander about looking for shelter, but Lylisan maintained her purposeful stride. "Lyli?"

"Almost there," she replied. "Don't worry!"

She led him to a playground that looked as though it hadn't been used in years. A small tower in the center supported a slide, a pole, and something that looked as though it might have once been a swingset. The tower had two stories, and the bottom story was well shaded, small, and (compared to the rest of the park) in fairly good shape.

Lylisan led him around the dented and detached slide into the small space. To his surprise, it was already outfitted with a pile of rags and blankets - a fine bed for a homeless tom. Jequimas gaped at his surroundings and turned to Lylisan, his confusion plainly showing on his face. Lylisan smiled.

"I set this up just in case you decided to leave," she explained. "It's nice and secluded - no humans have come around here for ages - and it smells a lot better than your old alley." Jequimas grinned; he couldn't deny that. "Fortunately, it's also closer to the junkyard."

His smile faded. "So?"

"Well, you said you wanted to visit Jeniiva and the kits," Lylisan replied. "So you won't have to go as far. And..." she blushed slightly, "It'll be closer for me, too."

"... You?"

Lylisan's blush became more pronounced as she lifted her chin defiantly. "Well I found the place, you didn't think I was just going to hand it over, did you?" she said, her eyes twinkling despite her frown. "If you live here you're just going to have to deal with me, and that's that."

Jequimas smiled broadly and grabbed her, pulling her close. "I think I can live with that," he whispered roughly, before lowering his face to hers.

And for the first time in what seemed like forever, Jequimas felt that he belonged.

FIN

A/N: Oh em eff gee! I FINISHED this son of a bitch! I really can't believe it. Yes, the ending is cheesy, but do you know how hard it was to think of something I could live with? Gr! L'anyhoodle, it's done, it's finished, fini. Enormous thanks and a fillion e-glomps to Becky for sticking with me during this... and for her "monthly Shadow reminders!" It would never have gotten finished if it weren't for you! Muah! 


End file.
